This page will contain blogs about Illinois, as they become available.

Illinois

State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie
State

Other U.S.
States

Capital

Springfield

Largest city

Chicago

Governor

Rod Blagojevich

Official languages

English

Area

149,998 kmē (25th)

- Land

143,968 kmē

- Water

6,030 kmē (4.0%)

Population (2000)

- Population

12,419,293 (5th)

- Density

86.27 /kmē (11th)

Admission into Union

- Date

December 3, 1818

- Order

21st

Time zone

Central: UTC-6/-5

Latitude

36°58'N to 42°30'N

Longitude

87°30'W to 91°30'W

Width

340 km

Length

629 km

Elevation

- Highest

376 m

- Mean

182 m

- Lowest

85 m

Abbreviations

- USPS

IL

- ISO 3166-2

US-IL

Web site

www.illinois.gov

Illinois (pronounced
[ˌɪləˈnɔɪ] or occasionally
[ˌɪləˈnɔɪz]) constitutes the 21st state of
the United States, located in the former Northwest Territory. Its name was given by the state's French explorers after the indigenous Illiniwek
people, a consortium of Algonquin tribes that thrived in the area. The word Illiniwek means simply "the people".

The capital of Illinois is Springfield while its largest city is Chicago, along the
waterfront of Lake Michigan. Most of the state's population resides in
Chicago and its suburbs. The U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is IL.

The USS Illinois was named in honor of this state.

History

Pre-Columbian

Cahokia, the urban center of the pre-Columbian Mississippian culture, was located near present-day Collinsville, Illinois. That civilization vanished circa
1400-1500 for unknown reasons. The next major power in the region was the Illiniwek Confederation, a political alliance among several tribes. The Illiniwek gave Illinois its name. The
Illini suffered in the seventeenth century as Iroquois expansion forced them to
compete with several tribes for land. The Ilini were replaced in Illinois by the Potawatomi, Miami, Sauk, and other
tribes.

European exploration

French explorers Jacques
Marquette,S.J. and Louis Joliet explored the Illinois River in 1673. As a result of their exploration, Illinois was part of the French empire until 1763, when it passed to the British. The area was ceded to the new United States in 1783 and became part of the Northwest Territory.

The 1800s

The Illinois-Wabash Company was an early claimant
to much of Illinois. The Illinois Territory was created on
February 3, 1809. In 1818, Illinois became the 21st U.S. state. Early U.S. settlement began in the south part of the state and
quickly spread northward, driving out the native residents. With the 1832 Black Hawk War, the last native tribes were driven out of northern
Illinois.

Illinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln" because it is here that
the 16th President spent his formative
years. Chicago gained prominence as a canal
port after 1848, and as a rail hub soon afterward. By 1857, Chicago was Illinois' largest
city (see History of Chicago).

The Civil War

During the Civil War, over 250,000 Illinois men served in the Union Army, more than any other northern state except New York,
Pennsylvania and Ohio. Beginning with President Lincoln's first call for troops and continuing throughout the war, Illinois
mustered 150 infantry regiments (see Illinois in the
Civil War), which were numbered from the 7th IL to the 156th IL. Seventeen cavalry regiments were also mustered, as well as
two light artillery regiments.

Government

The sample version of the current Illinois license plate
introduced in 2001.

The state government of Illinois is modeled after the federal government with adaptations originating from traditions
cultivated during the state's frontier era. As codified in the state constitution, there are three branches of government:
executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is led by the Governor of Illinois. Legislative functions are given to the Illinois General Assembly, comprised of the 118-member Illinois State House of
Representatives and the 59-member Illinois State
Senate. The judiciary is comprised of the state supreme court, which
oversees the lower appelate courts and circuit courts.

The Governor of Illinois is Rod Blagojevich (Democrat)

The Lieutenant Governor of
Illinois is Pat Quinn (Democrat)

The Secretary of State of Illinois is Jesse
White (Democrat)

The Treasurer
of Illinois is Judy Baar Topinka (Republican)

The Senior United States Senator is Richard J. Durbin (Democrat)

The Junior United States Senator is Barack Obama (Democrat)

Geography

See List of Illinois counties

It is in the north-central U.S. and borders on Lake Michigan.
Surrounding states are Wisconsin to the north, Iowa and Missouri to the west, Kentucky to the south, and Indiana to the east. Illinois also borders
Michigan, but only via a water boundary in Lake Michigan.

Illinois has three major geographical divisions. The first is Chicagoland,
including the city of Chicago, its suburbs, and the adjoining exurban area into which
the metropolis is expanding. This region includes a few counties in Indiana and Wisconsin and streches across much of the
Northern Illinois toward the Iowa border, generally along and north of Interstate 80. This region is cosmopolitan, densely populated, industrialized, and settled by a variety of
ethnic groups. The city of Chicago is heavily Democratic. While this tendency
has historically been balanced by Republican voters in the suburbs, Democrats have significantly increased their suburban
support in the past decade.

Southward and westward, the second major division is Central Illinois, an area of rolling hills and flat prairie. Known as the Land of Lincoln, it is
characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Agriculture, particularly corn and
soybeans, figures prominently. Major cities include famously average Peoria, Springfield (the state capital),
and Champaign-Urbana (home of the
University of Illinois). This region's largely rural
character helps to sustain a heavily Republican voting pattern and widespread antipathy toward Chicago.

The third division is Southern Illinois, or Little
Egypt, distinguished from the other two by its warmer climate, different mix of crops (including some cotton farming in the past), more rugged unglaciated topography, coal
mining, and proximity to the juncture of the Mississippi River
and Ohio River. The combination of coal mining and industrialization,
especially in the region around Saint Louis, Missouri, has caused the region to lean Democratic politically. This division comprises the area generally along
and south of Interstate 70.

McLean County, is the largest county in terms of land area, at 1,184
sq mi. while Cook County is the largest county in terms of population, at
5,327,777. Both figures are as of 2004.

In extreme northwestern Illinois the Driftless Area, a region of
unglaciated and therefore comparatively higher and more rugged topography, occupies a small part of the state.

Economy

The 2003 total gross state product for Illinois was
$499 billion, placing it 5th in the nation. The per capita income was $32,965.

Demographics

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2003, the population of Illinois was
12,653,544. At the northern edge of the state on Lake Michigan lies Chicago, the nation's third largest city. More than half of
the population of Illinois lives in and around Chicago, the leading industrial and transportation center in the region. The rest
of the population lives in the smaller cities and on the farms that dot the state's gently rolling plains.

Racially, the state is:

67.8% White Non-Hispanic

15.1% Black

12.3% Hispanic

3.4% Asian

0.2% American Indian

1.9% mixed race

The top 5 ancestry groups in Illinois are German (19.6%), African American (15.1%), Irish
(12.2%), Mexican (9.2%), Polish (7.5%).

7.1% of Illinois' population were reported as under 5, 26.1% under 18, and 12.1% were 65 or older. Females made up
approximately 51% of the population.

Religion

Unlike the other Midwestern states, Illinois is not overwhelmingly Protestant--only about half of the people profess that
faith. Roman Catholics (who are predominant in and around Chicago) account for one-third of the population.

The religious affiliations of the people of Illinois are:

Protestant – 51%

Roman Catholic – 33%

Other Christian – 1%

Other Religions – 3%

Non-Religious – 8%

The three largest Protestant denominations in Illinois are: Baptist (15% of total
state population), Lutheran (8%), Methodist (8%).

Important cities and towns

Illinois, showing major cities and roads
Chicago

See complete listing
here...

Counties of Illinois

Education

Illinois State Board of Education

The Illinois State Board of Education or ISBE, autonomous of the governor and the state legislature, administers public education in the state. Local municipalities and their respective
school districts operate individual public schools but the ISBE
audits performance of public schools with an annual school report card. The ISBE also makes recommendations to state leaders concerning
education spending and policies.

There is current debate as to the role of the ISBE and whether or not its autonomous relationship with the governor and the
state legislature is appropriate. In 2002, the Office of the Governor proposed the creation
of a monolithic statewide department of education to replace the ISBE. However, direct control of the new department would fall
under the state governor's jurisdiction. The structure would mimic the system employed by the Hawaii State Department of
Education, which has no local school districts. Opponents to the proposal argue that local communities would lose control
over what their children would learn in public schools and the means by which those public schools operate.

Primary and secondary schools

Education is compulsory from kindergarten through the twelfth grade in
Illinois, commonly but not exclusively divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education:
elementary school, middle school or junior high school and
high school. District territories are often complex in structure. In some
cases, elementary, middle and junior high schools of a single district feed into high schools in another district.

See List of school
districts in Illinois for a listing of all school districts, by county.

See List of high schools in
Illinois for a partial list of high schools.

Colleges and universities

While many students enter the military or join the workforce directly from high school, students have the option of applying
to colleges and universities in
Illinois. Notable Illinois institutions of higher education include
Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and the several branches of the University of Illinois. Illinois is also home to 49 colleges in
the Illinois community college
system.

List of colleges and universities

Professional sports teams

People

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, was born in Tampico, Illinois.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, is buried in Springfield, Illinois

Illinois is also home to 49 colleges in
the Illinois community college
system. The Nuggets will pick 20th in the 2005 NBA Draft;
the pick was acquired from Washington via Orlando. Notable Illinois institutions of higher education include
Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and the several branches of the University of Illinois. After winning an incredible game one at San Antonio, the Nuggets proceeded to lose the next four games and
lost the series 4-1. While many students enter the military or join the workforce directly from high school, students have the option of applying
to colleges and universities in
Illinois. In the playoffs, however, the Nuggets could not survive the
powerhouse defense of Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. In some
cases, elementary, middle and junior high schools of a single district feed into high schools in another district. Karl lived up to
his reputation by leading the team to an astounding record of 32-8 in the 2nd half of the regular season which vaulted the team
into the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year.

District territories are often complex in structure. On December 28, 2004, head coach Jeff Bzdelik was fired from the organization and replaced by interim Nuggets coach, former
Los Angeles Laker player and Los Angeles Sparks head coach Michael
Cooper, before finally hiring veteran coach George Karl. Education is compulsory from kindergarten through the twelfth grade in
Illinois, commonly but not exclusively divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education:
elementary school, middle school or junior high school and
high school. They were eliminated in the first round four games to one by the
Minnesota Timberwolves. Opponents to the proposal argue that local communities would lose control
over what their children would learn in public schools and the means by which those public schools operate. In April, the turnaround was complete as they became the first franchise in
NBA history to qualify for the postseason following a sub 20 win campaign the previous year. The structure would mimic the system employed by the Hawaii State Department of
Education, which has no local school districts. Much of of the reason for this incredible turnaround were the front-office moves of General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe a former
Nuggets player who assumed General Manager duties August,9 2001 adding crucial personnel including: point guard Andre
Miller, power forward Nčnč, point guard Earl Boykins, Center Marcus Camby and shooting gaurd Jon Barry.

However, direct control of the new department would fall
under the state governor's jurisdiction. In just two months of the season, they recorded more wins than they had in 5 1/2 months of play
in 2002-03. In 2002, the Office of the Governor proposed the creation
of a monolithic statewide department of education to replace the ISBE. The team has shown signs of another renaissance for the 2003-04, with the drafting of Carmelo Anthony and yet another uniform
change (light blue and yellow). There is current debate as to the role of the ISBE and whether or not its autonomous relationship with the governor and the
state legislature is appropriate. Ironically, Cleveland (LeBron
James) and Denver (Carmelo Anthony) would eventually have a twin
pair of rookie dynamos enter their ranks the very next year. The ISBE also makes recommendations to state leaders concerning
education spending and policies. They tied for the worst record in the NBA in 2002-03 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Local municipalities and their respective
school districts operate individual public schools but the ISBE
audits performance of public schools with an annual school report card. Denver was an
also-ran for nearly a decade, and flirted with having the worst record in a season in 1997-98, winning only 11 games in an 82
game season. The Illinois State Board of Education or ISBE, autonomous of the governor and the state legislature, administers public education in the state. The team had a brief resurgence in
1993-94 (a year they ditched their rainbow colors for a dark blue and gold scheme) finishing 42-40 and stunning the top-seeded
Supersonics in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, falling to the Utah Jazz in game six of the second round, but it was a rare highlight following Moe's departure. See complete listing
here... Moe left the team in 1990, and his departure ended their run as a competitive franchise. The three largest Protestant denominations in Illinois are: Baptist (15% of total
state population), Lutheran (8%), Methodist (8%). Only
once, in 1984-85, did they even make it to the conference finals, and that year they lost in 5 games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The religious affiliations of the people of Illinois are:. It was a novel strategy, but it rarely led to playoff success. Roman Catholics (who are predominant in and around Chicago) account for one-third of the population. 1980s Denver Nuggets basketball teams would often score in excess of 115 points a game, and during one full season,
1981-82, they did not fail to score 100 points in any game. Unlike the other Midwestern states, Illinois is not overwhelmingly Protestant--only about half of the people profess that
faith. Moe brought with him a "run and gun" philosophy, a style
of play focusing on attempting to score rapidly with little interest in defense, and it helped the team become highly
competitive. Females made up
approximately 51% of the population. It ended in 1981, when they hired
Doug Moe as a head coach.

7.1% of Illinois' population were reported as under 5, 26.1% under 18, and 12.1% were 65 or older. Brown left the team in 1979, helping usher in a brief decline in their team's performance. The top 5 ancestry groups in Illinois are German (19.6%), African American (15.1%), Irish
(12.2%), Mexican (9.2%), Polish (7.5%). However, neither of these teams were ultimately successful in the
postseason. Racially, the state is:. Led by Dan Issel (http://www.nba.com/history/players/issel_summary.html), Bobby Jones (http://www.remembertheaba.com/TributeMaterial/BobbyJones.html), and David
Thompson (http://www.nba.com/history/thompson_bio.html), Denver (and their
memorable rainbow-striped jerseys) were quite strong early on in the NBA, as they won division titles in their first two seasons
in the league, and missed a third by a single game. The rest
of the population lives in the smaller cities and on the farms that dot the state's gently rolling plains. They would get no second chance to win a league championship, as the ABA
merger occurred during the off-season.

More than half of
the population of Illinois lives in and around Chicago, the leading industrial and transportation center in the region. With Larry Brown coaching, they had their best seasons in team history in their first two seasons as the
Nuggets, with the team making the ABA finals in 1975-76. At the northern edge of the state on Lake Michigan lies Chicago, the nation's third largest city. In 1974, the team was renamed the Nuggets, a nickname first used by a 1949-50 NBA franchise. Census Bureau, as of 2003, the population of Illinois was
12,653,544. Haywood averaged 30 points in his only ABA season, then was allowed to sign with the Seattle SuperSonics to start a productive NBA career. According to the U.S. Haywood was one of the first players to turn pro before graduating college, and the NBA initially refused to let him
play in the league.

Its industrial outputs are
machinery, food processing, electrical equipment, chemical products, publishing, fabricated metal products, transportation
equipment, petroleum and coal. During the
1969-1970 season, the team also had a controversial rookie named Spencer
Haywood. Illinois' agricultural outputs are corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products and wheat. They had a solid lineup led by Byron Beck (http://www.nba.com/nuggets/history/byron_beck_retire.html) and Larry Jones, then later by Beck and Ralph Simpson (http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SAMPSRA01). The per capita income was $32,965. However, they tended to struggle in the postseason and failed to make a
championship game during this span. The 2003 total gross state product for Illinois was
$499 billion, placing it 5th in the nation. One of 4 ABA teams that joined the NBA through a league merger in 1976, they were known as the Rockets for their first 7 years
of existence, and were very strong in their early years.

In extreme northwestern Illinois the Driftless Area, a region of
unglaciated and therefore comparatively higher and more rugged topography, occupies a small part of the state. The Denver Nuggets are a National Basketball Association team based in Denver, Colorado. Both figures are as of 2004. Bryon Russell (Long Beach State). while Cook County is the largest county in terms of population, at
5,327,777. Wesley Person (Auburn). McLean County, is the largest county in terms of land area, at 1,184
sq mi. Dermarr Johnson (University of Cincinnati).

This division comprises the area generally along
and south of Interstate 70. Nenę (Brazil). The combination of coal mining and industrialization,
especially in the region around Saint Louis, Missouri, has caused the region to lean Democratic politically. Eduardo Najera (Oklahoma). The third division is Southern Illinois, or Little
Egypt, distinguished from the other two by its warmer climate, different mix of crops (including some cotton farming in the past), more rugged unglaciated topography, coal
mining, and proximity to the juncture of the Mississippi River
and Ohio River. Andre Miller (Utah). This region's largely rural
character helps to sustain a heavily Republican voting pattern and widespread antipathy toward Chicago. Kenyon Martin (University of Cincinnati).

Major cities include famously average Peoria, Springfield (the state capital),
and Champaign-Urbana (home of the
University of Illinois). Francisco Elson (California). Agriculture, particularly corn and
soybeans, figures prominently. Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse). Known as the Land of Lincoln, it is
characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Greg Buckner (Clemson). Southward and westward, the second major division is Central Illinois, an area of rolling hills and flat prairie. Marcus Camby (Massachusettes).

While this tendency
has historically been balanced by Republican voters in the suburbs, Democrats have significantly increased their suburban
support in the past decade. Earl Boykins (Eastern Michigan). The city of Chicago is heavily Democratic. 44 Dan Issel. This region is cosmopolitan, densely populated, industrialized, and settled by a variety of
ethnic groups. 40 Byron Beck. This region includes a few counties in Indiana and Wisconsin and streches across much of the
Northern Illinois toward the Iowa border, generally along and north of Interstate 80. 33 David Thompson.

The first is Chicagoland,
including the city of Chicago, its suburbs, and the adjoining exurban area into which
the metropolis is expanding. 2 Alex English. Illinois has three major geographical divisions. Lafayette "Fat" Lever. Illinois also borders
Michigan, but only via a water boundary in Lake Michigan. Dikembe Mutombo. and borders on Lake Michigan.
Surrounding states are Wisconsin to the north, Iowa and Missouri to the west, Kentucky to the south, and Indiana to the east. David Thompson.

It is in the north-central U.S. Dan Issel. See List of Illinois counties. Alex English. The judiciary is comprised of the state supreme court, which
oversees the lower appelate courts and circuit courts. Legislative functions are given to the Illinois General Assembly, comprised of the 118-member Illinois State House of
Representatives and the 59-member Illinois State
Senate.

The executive branch is led by the Governor of Illinois. As codified in the state constitution, there are three branches of government:
executive, legislative and judicial. The state government of Illinois is modeled after the federal government with adaptations originating from traditions
cultivated during the state's frontier era. Seventeen cavalry regiments were also mustered, as well as
two light artillery regiments.

Beginning with President Lincoln's first call for troops and continuing throughout the war, Illinois
mustered 150 infantry regiments (see Illinois in the
Civil War), which were numbered from the 7th IL to the 156th IL. During the Civil War, over 250,000 Illinois men served in the Union Army, more than any other northern state except New York,
Pennsylvania and Ohio. By 1857, Chicago was Illinois' largest
city (see History of Chicago). Chicago gained prominence as a canal
port after 1848, and as a rail hub soon afterward.

Illinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln" because it is here that
the 16th President spent his formative
years. With the 1832 Black Hawk War, the last native tribes were driven out of northern
Illinois. settlement began in the south part of the state and
quickly spread northward, driving out the native residents. Early U.S.

state. In 1818, Illinois became the 21st U.S. The Illinois Territory was created on
February 3, 1809. The Illinois-Wabash Company was an early claimant
to much of Illinois.

The area was ceded to the new United States in 1783 and became part of the Northwest Territory. As a result of their exploration, Illinois was part of the French empire until 1763, when it passed to the British. and Louis Joliet explored the Illinois River in 1673. French explorers Jacques
Marquette,S.J.

The Ilini were replaced in Illinois by the Potawatomi, Miami, Sauk, and other
tribes. The
Illini suffered in the seventeenth century as Iroquois expansion forced them to
compete with several tribes for land. The Illiniwek gave Illinois its name. The next major power in the region was the Illiniwek Confederation, a political alliance among several tribes.

That civilization vanished circa
1400-1500 for unknown reasons. Cahokia, the urban center of the pre-Columbian Mississippian culture, was located near present-day Collinsville, Illinois. The USS Illinois was named in honor of this state. postal abbreviation for the state is IL.

The U.S. Most of the state's population resides in
Chicago and its suburbs. The capital of Illinois is Springfield while its largest city is Chicago, along the
waterfront of Lake Michigan. The word Illiniwek means simply "the people".

Its name was given by the state's French explorers after the indigenous Illiniwek
people, a consortium of Algonquin tribes that thrived in the area. Illinois (pronounced
[ˌɪləˈnɔɪ] or occasionally
[ˌɪləˈnɔɪz]) constitutes the 21st state of
the United States, located in the former Northwest Territory. State tree: White oak
(Quercus alba). State snack: Popcorn.

The Senior United States Senator is Richard J. The Treasurer
of Illinois is Judy Baar Topinka (Republican). The Secretary of State of Illinois is Jesse
White (Democrat). The Lieutenant Governor of
Illinois is Pat Quinn (Democrat).